Recipe For Disaster
by Austin and Ally Go 1 Direction
Summary: After an accident Charlie finds herself orphaned, and goes to live with her Aunt Pepper. The only probably is her Aunt's boyfriend - none other than Tony Stark, the most annoying man on the planet according to Charlie. Add High School drama, the Avengers, a world in peril, and the fact that Tony and Charlie can't stand eachother to the mix, and you get a recipe for disaster.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! This is my first Avengers fanfiction, so please go easy on me! I will introduce the others later, and this story shall be written in Charlotte(Charlie)'s POV and Tony Stark's. I hope you enjoy, and please give me feedback!**

**Charlie**

"Fifteen cents your change, Miss," The Cabbie hands me a nickel and a dime which I shove into the deep recesses of my pocket. I open the car door, only to be hit by the warm Malibu spray. I wrinkle my nose at the feeling.

As I pull my thread-bare knapsack out of the car which contains the few valuables the orphanage let me keep, I hear the Cabbie whistle. "Quite the place you got here Miss. Who're ya stayin' with?"

I grunt as I heave my backpack onto my shoulder, before glaring at the rather large house in front of me. It's big, and fancy, and everything I try to avoid. In other words, it's normal.

"My Aunt," I tell him. "Unfortunately."

He doesn't seem to catch the last part though, as I shut my door. I hear him whistle once more, before the cab skampers off down the long driveway again. I squint against the sun's glare as I turn back to the mansion.

I stare at the piece of paper my agent gave me, re-reading the directions. It says 10-8-80 Malibu Point 90265 just as it did five minutes ago. It's signed with her scrolly script, the N too big for my liking. Scowling, I shove it back into my pocket, before trudging towards the door.

I haven't even raised my fist to knock, when the door flies open, and I'm engulfed in a hug. When she pulls away, I see that her normally perfectly styled red hair is disheveled, and her eyes are puffy from crying. She looks how I did a few hours before.

"Oh my gosh Charlotte, I'm so sorry," She tells me ushering me inside the fancy home. I follow reluctantly and shrug.

"It was an accident," I mumble, although the words get caught in my throat. The backs of my eyes prick with fresh tears, but I push them down. Everyone esle thinks it's an accident. Why can't I?

"I know sweetie, but I'm still sorry. I just can't believe that Elaine is-"

I hug my Aunt to cut her off. Even though I've come to terms with the fact that my mother and father are dead, doesn't mean I want to hear someone say it outloud. It was bad enough at the orphanage I stayed at for a few nights. I definitely don't want to relive that.

She hugs me back, before pulling away and forcing a smile onto her face. I can always tell when she's not really smiling, because when she genuinly smiles, she gets this glimmer in her green eyes. I know because I do too, and we both have the same green eyes. They were my grandmother's. And my mother's.

"Well," She says, looking me over. "Enough of that. Look at you. How long has it been, seven years?" She asks me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we walk farther into the mansion.

"Eight," I tell her quietly. After my Aunt got a job working for her current boyfriend, I hardly got to see her, and that was when I was nine. My mom always said that He would have a bad influence on my Aunt, and as a result, she would never take me to visit her. But sometimes my father would arrange 'accidental' meetings, and to me they were the best present he's ever given me.

"Well, we'll have to catch up then, won't we," She tells me as we walk into the spacious living room. The one wall is madee completely out of glass, and I can't help the fact that my jaw drops when I see the view. It's hard to believe that my Aunt lives here. That I'm going to be living here.

"Where's..." I trail off, not quite knowing what to call her boyfriend. Especially when he's the richest guy on the planet, probably the smartest guy on the planet, as well as, well, a superhero.

"Tony?" She asks, catching the implication of my question. I nod, not taking my eyes off the view. "He's at a meeting, but will be home in time for supper. I can't wait for you to meet him," She tells me, smiling. I force a smile and try to nod back with enthusiasim. It doesn't quite work out that way.

"I'll show you were you'll be staying," She tells me, steering me away from the window, we head to the staircase, when it catches my eye. The big, black, elegantly carved grand piano. My Aunt notices, and smiles at my slightly. "Do you still play?"

I shake my head, my throat tight. "Not anymore," I whisper before walking up the stairs. My Aunt frowns slightly, but follows me up. I haven't played the piano since Peter... and that happened three months ago. Before the accident.

Pepper leads me to a wide room. Its' modern and spacious, with a huge bed beside the windows which half face the ocean, and half face the valley. It's beautiful, and I can't help but be a little shocked.

"I know it's a little bare, but I figured you might want to decorate it yourself. Perhaps we could go shopping one day to get somethings," She offers tentativley. I smile and wrap her in a hug.

"That would be wonderful. Thanks Aunty," I whisper into her shirt. She smiles, and pulls away to walk to the closet.

"Well, it's not completely bare. I bought you some clothes to start off, because I figured most of your stuff was left behind. I hope they fit," She tells me, opening my new closet. I stare at shock at what's inside.

It's like my Aunt knew what I've always wanted. She has several pairs of jeans and several [plain back t-shirts folded on shelves for everyday where, exactly what I always wear. But hanging on the hangers are a handful of elegant designer dresses like the ones she always wears. They range from midnight blue to evening black, and come in several different styles. I touch one tentatively to make sure it's real.

"I know you aren't totally into the whole dress thing, but we usually attend quite a few gala's and such due to Tony's lifestyle, so I made sure you had some. If you don't like them we can reurn them," She hastily adds on. I shake my head.

"No, they're beautiful. Thank you," I tell her genuinly. She smiles and wraps me in another hug.

"Miss Potts your water is boiling," A detached voice suddenly rings out through the room. I jump a little, and My Aunt chuckles.

"Don't worry," Pepper tells me. "That's just JARVIS. He runs the house."

"Right," I say, still a little wary. "A talking house."

She laughs, and we make our way downstairs.

We spend the next hour making dinner, and catching up. She tells me about how she got her job as Tony's secretary, to how she became his girlfriend, and how crazy her life has been ever since. I tell her about how life has been, and how I miss my parents. She doesn't hesitate to comfort me, and that makes me feel special. I can't remember the last time someone comforted me.

"So," she asks me as we pull the giant pizza out of their huge oven. Everything in their kitchen is like a touch screen with a million icons. It took me forever to figure out how to get the water dispenser to work. I guess that's what happens when you live with a genius. "Why did you stop playing piano. You used to be amazing."

I hesitate slightly, but decide to tell her as she places the pizza on the counter. She goes to fetch a pizza slicer.

"Do you remember Peter?" I ask her quietly. She looks confused.

"How can I not? You two were attached at the hip," She jokes. I smile, but it's the ghost of a smile.

"I thought so too. But a few months ago, we had a fall out. He turned into a jerk, and left me to hang out with some sluts just like he said he never would do. I haven't played since then. I just haven't had any inspiration too," I admit, my chest aching. It was much more than a fall out, but my Aunt doesn't need to know that.

She frowns as she starts to cut the pizza. "That's too bad, he was a really nice boy. I'm sorry to hear that Charlotte. But you shouldn't quite just because of someone else," She tells me. I just shrug in response. She sighs. "Well, you're enrolled to start school tomorrow at Malibu High. Maybe you'll find a new bestfriend," She tells me hopefully. I just nod.

Truth is, I don't want to find another friend. When I lost Peter, it cut me deep in a way that I couldn't fix. I don't want that to ever happen again, and the only way to guarantee it, is by not letting others in again. I'd rather stay at home with my books. The knowledge I attain from them is at least certain and permanent. Something friendships are not.

She opens her mouth to say something, when suddenly the glass panels in the living room open. I frown and try to figure out what's going on, but all I can see is a falling star. Wait. I look closer and realize that it's certainly no falling star, and it's coming towards us fast. I watch in shock as none other than Iron Man flies into the house, and lands in the middle of the living room, the windows close, and suddenly the floor opens up.

"Welcome home, Sir," The voice my Aunty called JARVIS rings out. I watch in fascination as metal arms reach out of the ground, and undo the suit swiftly. In a matter of seconds none other than Tony Stark walks out,leaving me jaw dropped.

I had never exactly grown up with a lot of money. Pepper had offered my mother money, but she refused to accept anything that came from Tony Stark. So as a result I grew up in a rather quiet neighbourhood, in a sleepy town in Canada. And although we had a television, we couldn't afford cable, so the only time I ever watched television was through store front windows.

Because we didn't have Internet connection, I never had any social networking accounts like other kids. I've never had a phone, and I can literally count the number of times I've been on Youtube on my fingers.

But even though I was that socially disconnected, I still knew that Pepper was dating a superhero. Peter's family had everything, and I would always go over there to find out about stuff and to research. I know all about Iron Man. I saw pictures of New Mexico after supposed gods visited. I heard about the scientist who changes form. All that crazy stuff that happened in New York I know about, although knowing and believing are two completely different things.

Of course, I know nothing of what's happened in the last three months, since Peter and I... went our seperate ways. And then the accident happened two weeks ago, and even more so I haven't really paid attention to what's going on.

So to see Tony Stark in the flesh is kind of a big thing for me, if you catch what I'm saying.

"Hey Pep," He says as he walks towards my Aunt, he gives her a quick kiss before heading to get a glass of water. He sees me, sniffs the air, then says, "Give the pizza girl a tip, it smells great. Where's it from, Dominos?"

Immediately my awe is gone replaced with distain. Pizza girl? Really? I know I don't exactly stand out from a crowd, but seeing as how my Aunty's the only other person here, could it honestly be that difficult to take to seconds to look and see that I'm not even in a Pizza workers outfit?

My Aunt Pepper clears her throat. "Actually Tony, she-"

He sighs overdramatically while filling up his water. "Pep, I thought we've been over this. If I gave an autograph to everysingle girl scout that came by, I'd have a lineup outside my door."

I now know why my mother never liked Pepper's boyfriend.

"Tony, remember what your publiciter said. And she's not-"

"Are we talking about me?" He rudely cuts her off again. I know if I was my Aunt, I'd snap in impatience, but she just smiles softly like she's used to this. "Cause last I checked, I was the one who flew around in the suit, and advertized the Expo, making me the publiciter, amd I right?" He leans back on the counter and sips his water. My Aunt seizes the opportunity.

"Tony, this is Charlotte. My niece. The one I told you was going to be living with us now," She tells him softly. I see his eyebrows draw together in confusion.

"I certainly don't recall that conversation," He says quickly in between gulps.

"To be fair, Sir, you were half drunk," JARVIS rings out from around the room. My Aunt smiles and nods.

"Thank you JARVIS. You were," She directs back to Tony, who just shrugs. "But that's not the point. The point is that she's living with us now, and you're going to have to play nice," She warns him.

"If that's possible," I find myself mumbling outloud. Tony's eyes narrow at me.

"Did you say something? Or was I hearing things?" He asks somewhat rhetorically. I answer it anyways.

"Maybe you're hearing things. Most geniuses are actually phsycos," I tell him, narrowing my own eyes. He stands up and rubs his jaw in contemplation.

"Huh, I can't tell whether that's a compliment or an insult."

"Let's go with insult," I snap back at him. I don't know why, but he gets under my skin. I scowl at him.

"Looks like Pizza girl has a backbone," He says. "I'm good at breaking bones."

"I can tell. You obviously have social issues," I retort. My Aunt puts a hand on my shoulder, but she's glaring at Tony.

"All right you two. Now that we've got the meet and greet over with, why don't we eat dinner?" She says through her teeth. Tony ignores her.

"I don't know, is Pizza girl ok with it?" He asks.

"It's Charlotte," I snarl back.

"Charlie?" He asks somewhat innocently. My chest constricts at my parents old nickname for me.

"Just Charlotte," I say through gritted teeth.

"Uh-huh," He says, crossing his arms. "Whatever you say, Charlie."

I can't take it. My eyes prickle with tears. Only my parents ever called me Charlie. My parents and Peter, the only people who aren't here anymore. Pushing away my Aunt's hand, I run to the staricase. But not before I shout over my shoulder, "Screw you."

And then I run before my facade breaks down again, and I let the tears flow free.

This is going to be hell.

**Thanks again, and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone!Thanks so much for the support and everything, I hope you like this story. Sorry if Tony's POV is a bit off, he's a really complicated guy. Anyways, feedback would be appreciated, thanks!**

**Tony**

"How could you Tony?" Pepper flips at me as soon as her neice runs upstairs.

"How could I what?" I ask, genuinly confused. "I just called her Charlie."

I watch as the love of my life deflates like a balloon in front of me. She rubs her forehead with her hand. "Her parents used to call her Charlie."

Although I could care less about petnames, I wrap Pepper in a hug. She rests her chin on my shoulder, and I rest mine on hers. I rub her back until the tension starts coming out of her shoulders. It's only then I notice how distraught she is.

"I just wanted this to work so badly," She whispers, her breath tickling my neck. "I feel like I owe Elaine that much."

"You mean your sister who hates my guts?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn't work.

"I thought, that maybe if I could just take care of her, she might've been able to forgive me," She whispers again, and I pull away, grasping her shoulders tightly.

"Sweetheart, I hate to say this, but I have no idea what your talking about," I tell her before adding, "Actually, I don't really hate to say it because I'd love to know what's happen-"

"Elaine and Mark are dead."

Her sentence cuts me off, and it takes more than a moment for it to process in my mind. When it does I'm in shock. Why didn't she tell me sooner? I stand there like an idiot until I notice the quiver of her hands.

"When?" My voice is detached.

"Two weeks ago," Her voice comes out quiet and muffled by my shirt. "They were in a car accident. Charlotte was the only survivor."

I don't know what to say, so I say nothing at all and rather hold her close. My actions speak louder than my words.

"I've been trying to get custody of Charlotte since that day, and it got approved yesterday. I suppose I should've told you earlier. I'm sorry," Her words echo around the kitchen. I sigh and continue to hug her.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been a jerk to her. I'll go apologize," I tell her, hoping she'll cheer up. Rather I get a very doubtful:

"Really?"

I roll my eyes and pull away, a small smile on my face. I kiss the tip of her nose, before grabbing a plate full of pizza. "Really," I tell her, heading upstairs.

Alright, so maybe this wasn't the greateest idea.

As I get closer to the guest bedroom, and farther from Pepper, that cheery feeling that made me volunteer myself in the first place slowly dissipates. I'm left with the uneasy curdle in my stomach. I contemplate just eating the pizza myself and ditching the girl.

Unfortunately, my stupid body waltzes through the door to the room.

Charlotte is there, scowling and glaring at the wall opposing her bed which she's sitting on. As soon as she glimpses me, her scowl deepens.

"Get out."

"Well, seeing as this is my house, shouldn't you be the one to get out?" I point out, taking note of my own sharp words. I don't know what it is, but I just feel antsy around this girl. She knows exactly how to get under my skin, and it irks me.

"I would if I could," She continues to scowl. I drop my shoulders.

"Why do I get the hint that you don't like me?" I decide to try another approach. She crinkles her nose in disndain.

"Maybe because I don't."

"And that would be because..." I prompt, waving her pizza around and splattering red sauce on the beige carpet. I make a mental note to have the floor cleaned before Pepper can see it.

For the first time since I entered her room, she turns to look at me, and I can see what she actually looks like. She has a small chin and high cheek bones, suggesting a bit of an Asian heritage. Her wild brown hair falls from it's pony tail, framing her dark eyes. She's smaller, but from the roughness of her hands, it's evident that she's used to doing things manually. If she wasn't constantly scowling, she might've been pretty.

"Shall I list the reaons chronologically or alphabetically?" She asks in a faux english accent. "You're a self-centered billionare brat who thinks he owns the world because he can fly around in a metal suit. I might've grown up in a small town, but at least everyone there knows the meaning of self-sacrifice and humility."

Her words hit a sore spot in my mind, as I feel my chest constrict in anxiety. For a moment I'm no longer at home, but rather trapped, in space. Seeing the countless stars stretch before me, and knowing that they would never know who I was, or what I'd done. Realizing that I really was nothing special.

I push away the thought as my face hardens. My newest saying is 'What happened in New York, stays in New York.' I plan on keeping it that way, so I stop dwelling on that day.

"Look, I think we need to set out some house rules," I change the topic, knowing that she didn't miss my hesitation. Her scowl deepens and she crosses her arms.

"Like what?" She challenges, and I can almost see Fury laughing at me. This must be what he feels like 24/7.

"Like, stay out of my shop. It's off limits. Completely."

She rolls her eyes. "I can hardly figure out your water dispenser, let alone your your garage and all your weird buttons."

"Secondly," I cut her off. "In public, I don't know you. Period."

"Wasn't planning on it," She drones, clearly bored. But I'm not finished.

"And lastly," I clear my throat some-what awkwardly. "Because of my line of... work, I tend to have many different visitors. Including unexpected check up calls from a certain... Agency. You aren't to look, speak, or even think about them. When they're here, you can leave, or seomthing. Fine?"

"Whatevs Starky," She mutters. "I wouldn't want to meet any of your looser friends anways."

"Good," I say, feeling awkward now that that's out. I shuffle awkwardly, befoer putting the pizza on the dressertop. I look back, to see that she's pulled out a book and is reading it. I roll my eyes, before finally leaving.

Pepper definitely owes me big time.

This is going to be hell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Charlie**

My eyes flutter open as I groggily pull myself from my fitful sleep. As I sit up, I rub my eyes. Images of my parents and Peter taunted me as usual, resulting in a restless night. I sigh as I step out of bed.

"Good Morning Miss," The talking voice - JARVIS - rings out around me. I think I've finally got used to the way he talks from everywhere. "It is currently 6:50 AM, 74 degrees out, with clear skies. Pepper would like you to know that you shall be leaving at 7:45 AM for school," He tells me as I watch the darkness in my room become encased in morning light as JARVIS opens my blinds. I squint at the harsh glare, before making my way to my closet.

Not going to lie, you could say I'm nervous. I've attended exactly eleven first days of school. Seven happened at the Town Hall where the Elementary School was located. The other four were at the High School - the decent sized, run-downed building between towns. No more than five hundred students. On a good day.

Pulling a plain black shirt on, and slipping into a fitted pair of jeans, I open the side door to my room, revealing a bathroom I found last night as I got ready for bed. I put some tooth paste on my toothbrush, before popping it into my mouth, and returning to my closet. I loop a brown leather belt and secure my pants, trying not to swallow tooth paste suds.

As I walk back to the luscious bathroom, I give my teeth a good scrub. Spitting in the sink, I rinse my mouth and my face,careful not to get any cleanser in my eyes. After a quick pat dry, and a squirt of lotion, I quickly smear some foundation over my skin, blending it invisibly.

Satisfied that I don't look like a complete hobo, I grab a hair brush in an attempt to tame my brown locks.

I end up snapping the measly thing in two.

Several french curse words later, three broken elastics, and multiple bobby pins later, I finally manage to pull my hair into one thick pony tail on the back of my head. Unlike My Aunt's precise, smart looking ones, it looks as though I've rolled out of bed and pulled my hair back. I shrug. Not like I'm trying to impress anyone anyways.

I walk back into my room, whistling the theme song from an old Disney Show Peter and I used to watch. It's one of my few memories with him that I can look at without feeling sad. It's just too happy a memory to be burdened down by the present.

I slip my sock feet into an old pair of Chuck Taylors, the tops loose and undone, laces tucked in the sides. I slip my pocket watch into my jeans pocket, before attaching the chain to my belt. I slip my favourite R5 guitar pick necklace over my head, before tucking it into my shirt. My dad bought it for me a couple of years ago after we went to seem them as my first, and last concert. It wasn't big, but it still mesmerized me. They were playing in a nearby city, and the main singer was actually the lead actor in that Disney Show.

After my mom found out my dad had done that, she flipped out. I swear we lived on army rations for the next month, cause she was so terrified of us going bankrupt. I haven't been to see them since, but I have a CD and an old CD player that I bought at a garage sale for two dollars. Peter made the CD for me a year ago, and it's a bunch of their songs.

Shaking my head from thought, I grab the backpack Pepper had got me. It's heavy duty and practical, just how I like it. She had decked it out with a binder, paper, water bottle, and gym strip for me to use. One pocket is dedicated just for sharpened pencils and fresh pens.

I open my door slowly, unaccustomed to the echoing silence of the mansion. Even though there were only three of us, are tiny home in Canada was always loud and full of sounds. Such a contrast from Stark's place.

I make my way slowly down stairs and to the kitchen, to see My Aunt talking into a cellphone. I enter quietly, and she smiles at me as I reach for an apple.

"...Yes yes. Thanks Happy. I'll inform Rhodey, although I think Tony and Phil probably already have. I'll see you in thirty minutes. Have the report on my desk, thank you."

She clicks off her cellphone, before smiling at me. "Hi Aunt Vee."

"Good morning," She tells me, grabbing her purse off the counter. "Come on. I can drop you off on my way to Stark Industries."

I wrinkle my nose slightly, but she doesn't notice, so I follow her through the giant house. As we walk, she sips at a coffee, eats half a bagel, and scrolls through her phone, occasional talking into an ear piece as well. All while not spilling a single thing on her stark white blouse. I have no idea how someone as uncoordinated as me can be related to someone like her.

As we walk out the front door, I see that a sleek black vehicle is already waiting for us. My Aunt ushers me in, and I do my seat belt up as she gets in herself. She must be talking on the phone again.

"...Yes, well, tell Jane that she's welcomed to stay with us while she's in town. Bruce will be here as well, you know how he and Tony get. ...No, you can't be serious. Oh, I don't know. Bringing the guy back to Earth who almost destroyed New York just for an apology doesn't exactly sound like a genius idea. And trust me, I live with genius."

Her conversation continues on in that strange matter, and one time I swear she says, "Last thing I want is to run around town in a sports bra on fire again."

By the time we pull up to the school, I'm more anxious than ever. Pepper is still having her conversation, and all she offers me is a sympathetic smile before she goes back to arguing with whoever she's talking to about... gods clothing?

Shaking my head, I get out of the car, as it drives away. I squint at the harsh Miami light, trying to get my bearings again. Shouts and sounds of cars and running kids rush by me in a blur. I focus on the giant school building in front of me, and when I do, I do a double take.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mutter under my breath as I walk up the steps towards my first day of grade twelve at my new school. The mascot is Iron Man. It just had to be Iron Man.

Rolling my eyes, and ignoring the looks of the other students, I put my head down and walk towards the office, following the signs on the roof. When I get there, I shut the door behind me, in essence shutting out the noises and sounds as well.

"Miss Fitz?" A secretary asks me as soon as I walk into the room. I nod cautiously. She smiles. "Wonderful. Make yourself comfortable, I''ll be with you in just a moment."

I nod and take a seat on the plush sofa, not looking at anyone in particular. Natalie, my social service worker, decided it would be best if it was NOT known that I'm staying with Tony Stark, or that my Aunt is Pepper Potts. I'm totally down with that. Especially when this school seems designed to boost Tony's already inflatted ego.

"Alright Miss Fitz," The generously sized secretary bumbles her way over to me. She hands me a sheet of paper. "Here is a record of your classes. Since your starting on the first day, I'm afraid we had to put you in available classes, although we kept your grade point level in mind," She informs me as I read over the sheet of paper.

A.P. English with Ms. Matheson, thank goodness. English literature is definitely my stronnng point. Calculus with Mr. Yukich, followed by lunch. After lunch there is Physics with Mr. Mackenzie, and P.E. Mr. Vicaretti. Talked about a whopper day.

Day two is a bit lighter, thankfully. Creative Writing, Mr. Wardman, French 12, Madame Davidson, with With History after lunch. I frown at the last block. Mechanics with Mr. Wellwood.

The secretary is blubbering on and on about how the schedule rotation works, but I interupt to ask, "Is there something else available other than mechanics?"

She shakes her head. "Sorry sweetie. In order to keep you in the higher classes, it meant you needed mechanics. But I've heard that Mr. Wellwood makes the class quite a hoot," She says with far to much enthusiasm. "You get to build your own computer, and design your own Iron Man schematics apparently!"

Oh yes, so much fun. I can't wait till everyone finds out that I can hardly navigate Youtube, let alone build my own computer. But I'll face that challenge when the time comes.

"Thank you," I muster up a polite smile, before quickly leaving the office. I check my watch to find that there's five minuites before the bell to find my locker and first class. Just peachy.

Deciding to skip the locker (Because if I was honest, I wouldn't be able to get it open anyways) I head straight upstairs, looking for my english class. The school is huge, as is it's population.

As I steal a glance at some of the people, I'm shocked to say the least. Back at my home school, I could tell the popular kids apart right away. They were the best dressed, best-looking kids of the school. But here, everyone is so... _stunning. _Just cause I grew up in hicville, doesn't mean that I can't tell designer clothes from knock-offs. Everyone here is dre4ssed so impeccably, that I feel like a sore thumb.

I find the class just as the bell goes off, and I scurry to a seat in the back of the class. The teacher doesn't even look up from her computer, and I notice the word on the back. _Stark. _It's SI tech.

As I look around the class, I begin to realize that everything in this godforsaken school is from SI. Even the pens. Suddenly the mascot is beginning to make since. The school must be one of Tony's 'Charity' cases.

I make a mental note to ask Pepper for confirmation, just as the final bell rings. The class has filled up with twenty other students or so, meaning either there are a lot of kids away, or most kids didn't qualify for the course. It's probably a mixture of both.

No one takes a seat next to me, but I could care less. Who needs friends anyways?

Turns out Ms. Matheson is someone I like right away. She gets straight to the point, as she hands out the books that we'll be needing for the year. 20000 Leagues Under The Sea, The Lord of The Flies, The Little Prince, and a dog-eared copy of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. All literature that I've read and dissected already.

"Well class, as you know I'm Ms. Matheson. This year in AP English we shall be reading Jules Verne as our novel study, comparing and contrasting The Little Prince and Lord of the Flies, and studying human nature in Coriolanus," She clapped her hands together and smiled. "But why don't we start getting to know eachother. I want you to discuss if you've already read this titles, what your view on them is, favourite characters, ect. You have the entire class."

With that, she turns back to her desk, leaving me with a bunch of other kids. I scowl and open the Jules Verne book, flipping to my favourite page to read.

The other kids tune me out, and start talking about their summers, which I'm perfectly fine with. I end up giving up on reading, and watch the group, intent on seeing if I can pick out any social status.

Two girls seem to stand out amongst the others. They both have platinum blonde hair that fell to their waist. They looked like twin models with the full butt, boobs, and no waist thing going on. They only difference between them was that one had light green eyes, and the other blue eyes. I think their names are Breanna and Sierra, although I'm not sure who's who, if I was honest.

And then there's Lucas.

Lucas iss your typical Cali Guy with dark blue eyes, sandy blonde hair that sweeps just the right way, and perfectly tanned muscles. did I mention that his way too tight shirt shows off his washboard abs? He's the epitome of perfection, and it takes all my will power not to ogle over the poor boy. The only thing slightly marring his image is the two bimbos attached to his side. I think their names are Breanna and Sierra.

As soon as the bell rings, I head off to Calculus,managing to find my way again. I can't help but smile as I walk into my new class. Lucas is in Calculus too. Unfortunately the B-Queens are sitting right beside him again, much to my dismay. I sigh, and grab a seat in the back of the class.

As the final bell goes off, I sigh, thinking that I can sit by myself again, when at the last moment, the door flies open. A flustered looking boy runs into the room, his glasses crooked, his shirt slightly wet as though he's used it to dry his face. He pauses to catch his breath.

"Sorry I'm late Mr. Yukich! Got held up in the hall," He lies, making his way to the back of the class. The teacher just smiles.

"No problem Ryan. Take the spare seat."

The boy - Ryan - comes and drops his stuff on the desk beside me, before quickly taking a seat. Judging from his appearance, I'd say that the reason he got held up was probably cause he was too busy getting swirlied. He must be this school's definition of a nerd.

And apparently even the nerds here in Malibu are good-looking.

He isn't really my type, but he's good-looking none the less. He's probably around five foot ten, but he isn't all muscle like Lucas and most of the other guys. He's toned, that's for sure, but more lithe and agile. Like everyone but me at this godforsaken school, his skin is perfectly flawless and tanned, although a pair of classy, big-rimmed, bottomless, black glasses perch on his nose, slightly obscuring his light brown eyes. His hair is black, and swept up as though he runs his hand through it alot.

He kind of reminds me of Tony. If Tony had glasses. And a tan. And wasn't a douche. You know what? He doesn't remind me of Tony.

"Enjoy the Swirlie?" I whisper to him as the teacher starts to explain our new assignment. He looks up from his paper as though just noticing me, gives me a quick run over, before slightly smirking and returning to his paper.

"Always."

I can't help but like his attitude as I put out my hand. "Charlotte. I just moved from Canada."

He smiles and actually puts down his pencil before shaking my hand. "Ryan. Welcome to Malibu. How you liking it so far?"

"It's decent," I tell him, feeling the most natural with someone since Peter. He smiles as the teacher hands out some papers. I take it and see that it's several quadratic formulas. I get to work right away.

Alright now, I'm decent at math. It's not my best subject, but certainly not my worst either. But that still doesn't account for the fact that I swear Ryan just _looked _at the paper, and wrote down the right answers before I even finished the second question. I looked at the other kids around me, but none of them thought it was unusual as Ryan went up to hand his paper in.

Brushing it off, I hand mine in five minutes later. Lucas follows me up, bumping into me accidently as I turn around. I swaer I blush down to my roots as he whispers in a husky voice, "Sorry there Sugar."

I make it back to my seat in a daze, only to be snapped out of it by Ryan's snicker.

"Wow, I think Lucas just made a new Blush Record."

"Shut-up," I grumble,turning an even darker shade and punching his arm. He mocks hurt. I turn serious. "Hey, how did you finish so quickly?"

He shrugs casually. "Math and tinkering is my sort of thing. My mom's a mechanic, my dad a Professor. Guess it just runs in the jeans."

"Wish I could get me a pair of those jeans," I mutter. "Sounds like freaking genius to me."

"Genius would be Tony Stark. I'm nothing compared to him," Ryan says. I want to tell him that at least he's a whole lot nicer than Tony, but instead I bite my tongue, not wanting to give away my cover yet.

We spend the rest of the class talking and getting to know eachother. Turns out he has two younger siblings, is the school's nerd, and loves to play basketball. I told him about my parents, and that I'm now living with my Aunt, but I didn't specify. I didn't tell him about Peter either.

He informed me about the school, and who to avoid (Unfortunately Lucas is in that group of people, but I am NOT planning on abiding that rule.) and who was ok. We switched phone numbers, and decided to be homework buddies.

Lunch was hazardous, and not just because of the cafeteria food. Ryan introduced me to some of his friends. Tyler is a Skater, and apparently a decent one at that. And Corinne is a bookworm, similar to myslef. Tyler I was polite with, but I definitely connected with Corinne more than him.

All of them are nerds, but still look stunning. Corinne has hazel coloured tresses that fall to her back, and big brown eyes. She looked like someone had taken the cover of Vogue, and shaped her to be the model on the front. She was that perfect looking.

Tyler had windswept brown hair, and lighter eyes. Other than that though, I didn't really pay much attention to him. Corinne and I immediately bonded over one similarity. We both loved watching Lucas from a distance.

Physics after lunch was thankfully not torturous, but Ryan was my partner. I think he could definitely be a friend. Possibly even a bestfriend, if I ever wanted one again.

Ryan wasn't in my P.E. block at the end of the day, but Corinne was. And so was Lucas, the B-Queens no where in sight. I have a feeling this is going to be my favourite class.

By the time the bell rings signalling the end of the day, I feel happy, and excited. Two feelings that I haven'tfelt in a long while. And as I wait by the curb one block away from the school for Pepper to pick me up, I can't help but smile.

Maybe Malibu won't be so bad after all.

**Hey! Woo! Another update! Sorry about the wait, by the way. Life's been crazy. I'm actually sick right now, which has allowed me some time to write. Who would've known that sickness was a blessing in disguise, eh?**

**Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for your reviews guys, it makes me smile. Hope you like the chapter, and the plotline should get a move on soon enough. Most SHIELD related stuff will obviously be happening in Tony's POV.**

**Also, check out corinnedanielle and her fanfiction! Amazing stuff she has!**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go destroy Jotunheim...**

**Ciao!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Tony**

"Tony, can you please pick Charlotte up from school today?" Pepper asks me as she bustles into my office. At the mention of her niece, I bristle slightly. She notices. "Tony, you know, you can't avoid her forever. It's been three weeks, for crying outloud, and you two have barely said more than hello to eachother," She scolds me.

"Actually, we've also said goodbye," I add, hoping to diffuse her frustration. She just rolls her eyes at me.

"_Tony."_

I sigh, knowing that dealing with Charlotte would be easier than dealing with an angry Pepper. "Fine," I concede. "What time does her school get out again?"

"Three o'clock."

"And where is it?" I ask absentmindedly. I can almost hear her roll her eyes.

"Mailbu High, Tony. You know, one of your _charity _projects," She places air quotations around the word charity.

"Oh right. Yeah, I'll get her," I tell Pepper. She deflates with her triumph.

"Thank you. And before you go, I need you to sign these papers," She hands me a stack of sheets, with multicoloured sticky notes on them, showing me where I need to sign. The blue ones indicating the need for my name printed, the pink ones indicating my signature.

"When am I meeting the board again? Wasn't that today at three?" I try, hoping to get out of picking Charlotte up. Pepper rolls her eyes again. She's been doing that alot lately.

"No, that's tomorrow. I took the trouble of clearing your afternoon for you," She smiles at me tightly, and I narrow my eyes at her. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

An amused smile appears on my face. "That will be all, Ms. Potts."

Just as she's walking out the door, I shout, "Dinner at seven!"

The door closes quickly behind her, but not before I catch the quick smile, and prominent blush on her features. I smile in triumph, picking up a pen and making my way through the papers.

I haven't decided what I hate more: Alien Invasions, or paperwork. Paperwork seems to be winning. At least I can have some fun with Alien Invasions.

I finish the mindless work, just as JARVIS's voice rings out through the room.

"Sir, Director Fury is requesting your immediate presence."

"Define immediate," I command, standing up, leaving the papers on my desk for Pepper to collect later.

"It seems Thor has returned from Asgard. And he's brought his brother."

"Damn," I mutter, my eyes going wide. I head over to my closet, pulling my suit out in suitcase form. JARVIS catches the cue, and the suit lights up, clicking into place around me as I step into it. The pieces all seal, as the mask slides into place over my face with an audible clang. I can't help but smile. I've always loved putting the suit on this way.

JARVIS lights up the screens inside the helmet, my vitals and energy levels popping up. The sliding doors of my balcony open, which I had installed a few months ago. I stretch once, before initiating my flight sequence.

"How long do you think it'd take to reach SHIELD HQ?" I muse as I feel the suit hum to life around me.

"Approximately ten minutes," JARVIS's voice responds to me. I've barely taken my feet off of the ground, when JARVIS adds, "Shall I inform Ms. Potts that she needs to pick up Charlotte?"

I curse in realization. "Shoot, I forgot. Change of plans Jarv. How far to the school?" I ask as I blast skyward. I streak low above Malibu as JARVIS calculates. I can't believe I almost forgot about Charlotte. Pepper would've killed me.

"I've placed the route on your visuals, sir. We should be arriving in two minutes," He informs me, as a map does indeed pop up. I hang a left and follow JARVIS's instructions. As the school comes into view, his voice rings throughout the suit again.

"Sir, I'm not so sure that this is the smartest of ideas. You're about to fly into a highly populated area with-"

"Save it for later Jarv," I cut my AI off. "Looks like school just got out."

Teenagers - my third most least favourite thing in the world, ok, well, maybe they tie with Cap's spangly pants - flood from the building, to the main waiting area out front. I smirk when I see the mascot. It's me. Go figure.

I land with a thud on the pavement, my suit re-adjusting and aligning itself so as to absorb the impact. The dead silence lasts about two point seven seconds before utter chaos breaks out.

"Easy now girls," I try to tame the horde that surges upon me. Shouts deafen my sensors,as red flashes in front of my vision.

"Hey!" I shout, and my voice is amplified by the built in speakers. Immediately everyone calms down, and blink at me like idiots. I can't help but smirk. "Look, I'll give everyone autographs later, but right now, I need to pick someone up. Does anyone know Charlotte? Small, annoying, always scowling?" I try. Several eyes around me go as wide as saucers, and I wonder if I've said the wrong thing. "Anyone?"

"Why would you want her?" A model looking chick with blonde hair curls her lip in distaste. Judging from her posture, and the group of jocks she's hanging out with, I'd assume she's the queen bee. Not bad looking either.

"What's your name, sweetcheeks?" I ask her, my mask lifting up. I squint slightly at the harsh glare, before adjusting. I see her blush a crimson colour, before sputtering out an answer. I think it's Sierra, although it's hard to tell.

"Well, to put it simply, Charlotte lives with me," I admit, knowing that there's no hiding it now. Murmurs break out in the crowd.

"What?" Several people shriek. I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Secrets out. Now, has anyone seen her?"

No one speaks up. I stare out at the surge of people, and if I had blinked, I would've missed it. Even though I've only seen her half a dozen time, I can easily pick out that wild brown hair. I step forward quickly.

As I make my way through the crowd, they part as all crowds usually do for me. But as I get closer, I realize that Charlotte seems to be in a heated whisper discussion with a boy. He isn't all that athletic looking, although he isn't a weakling by the looks of it either. From the large glass perched on his nose, and books in his arms, the kid is a definition of a nerd. He reminds me of myself at that age.

The hurt that's on his face is visible for the entire world to read. There's another girl behind him who also seems a part of the discussion, but she doesn't seem as emotional as he does. They're behind a larger group of people. Charlotte looks over and catches my, and as soon as she does, I see the desperation and fear harden to something cold and loathing. She shoots the boy one last look, seeming to mutter an apology or something, before she turns on her tailand walks towards me. I wait patiently, the crowd watching us. The scowl on her face has deepened, and her gaze is murderous.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She hisses at me through grittedd teeth. I roll my eyes.

"Ease up Charlie. I'm just picking you up for Pep." I watch as she tenses at the nickname, and her eyes narrow at me. Before she can say anything, my mask drops, and I grab her in my arms. "Hold on," I warn.

I feel her entire body clench as we blast through the air. I'm actually surprised that she manages not to yelp.

The flight to SHIELD HQ is quick. Rhodey calls me, but I decline it. Might as well wait till after I possibly blow something up for SHIELD, before I deal with his worries. I land, careful not to squish the girlin my arms. Personally, I don't care. But if Pepper ever found out... I shiver just at the thought.

"What the hell?!" She pushes away from me as soon as we land and I step out of the suit - it shrinking once again into a brief case. I have to take a step backwards in order to regain my balance. She's a lot stronger than she looks.

"What do you mean, what the hell?" I ask her, and I realize that this is the longest conversation we've had since she moved in. Pepper's right. That is pretty pathetic.

"I mean, no one was supposed to know that I'm living with you! You've just ruined everything!" She screams at me, pushing my chest again. I'm confused. Honestly I am. She must see it on my features.

"What?"

"AGH!" She screams in frustration. "Now everyone is going to be in my buisness, Ryan is probably never going to forgive me, and just when everything was getting normal too!"

I only picked up one thing from her rant.

"Who's Ryan?"

I swear, this girl could win scowl contest of the year. She makes Loki seem like a ray of sunshine. And trust me, he's anything but. Which is actually the reason I'm here.

Her features twist darkly. "He WAS a friend. He's nothing now," She snaps, turning on her heel. She runs straight into Nick Fury.

"And what," His voice booms through the parking lot, and I see Charlie's expression widen to fear for a millisecond, "Is going on here?"

"Hey Fury," I say nonchalantly, picking up my suitcase. "I heard Point Break and his messed up little bro are back in town."

Fury scowls at me, his eye glinting in the sun. I still think Charlie's scowls are scarier.

"Follow me," He bites out roughly. "Who's the girl?"

"This is Charlie-"

"Charlotte."

"-And she's Pepper's niece," I finish, ignoring her little interuption. Fury's eyebrows shoot up.

"So the rumours true," He muses, and I can tell he's getting a kick out of it. "You have been living with a kid."

I feel my eyes widen. "Yes, but NOT my kid," I clarify. I shiver at the thought. "Let's just take care of this. I got a dinner date at seven."

I forge ahead, leaving Fury and Charlie behind me. As soon as I walk into the building, Agent Hill greets me.

"Stark."

I give her a nod, as Fury leads us to an elevator. We all enter, and he slides a card into a nearly hidden slot. The elevator jerks downwards. As we go deeperinto the earth, Furyswears Charlie to secrecy, although he has nothing to worry about. I'm pretty sure that she hasn't even figured out how to turn the volume up on my television yet, let alone steal SHIELD secrets.

After the elevator ride, we walk through a maze of halls, and out of habit I count my footsteps. I have ever since Afganistan. We stop in front of a plain door, and Fury turns to us.

"She can't come in."

I smirk. "No worries," I turn to her, and see that her scowl has deepened yet again. "Stay here, and don't. Move. Anywhere," I warn. She rolls her eyes before muttering.

"Whatever."

I watch as she sits with her back to the wall, and pulls a giant book out of her baclp[ack. It looks big, old, and boring. Satisfied that she isn't going to go anywhere, I follow Fury into the conference room.

"Look who finally decided to show up."

"Hey Capsicle," I flash him my trademark smirk, before taking my assumed seat. I see Natasha and Clint roll their eyes across the table. And Bruce just smiles. The message seemed lost on Thor, and Steve just looks frustrated.

"Getting down to buisness," Fursy takes his spot at the head of the table. "I've called you here today, because we have an issue at hand," He sighs before jerking a thumb over at Thor. "He's returned, as you've all seen. Except he's also brought his brother."

"May I ask why?" I lean back in my chair casually. I prop my feet up, but Cao pushes them off the table. I csowl at him, before re-adjusting myself.

"The Allfather wants him to officially apologize to Earth, in hopes of taking a bit of his pride, before his punishment. I'm the messanger, as well as the delivery man, as you mortal's like to put it," The god's voice boomed through the room.

"And where is your brother now?" Natasha asks, and I can tell Clint is getting antsy because he's continually looking over his shoulder.

"Loki is being contained in this facility. He is under constant supervision, and his magic has been blocked. He shall stay there until we decide what we'regoing to do with him," Fury states.

"I hope you contain him better than you did on the Helicarrier," I mutter darkly under my breath. Cap is the only one to hear me though, and he kicks my chair in annoyance. Yeesh. He annoys me almost as much as Charlie.

"Loki means no harm to Earth. He had been deluded by the power of the tesseract, and Thanos. My brother really isn't that bad," Thor tries to reassure everyone. It doesn't exactly work. I roll my eyes.

"So pretty much you've gathered Earth's mightest heroes to make us make sure that Loki apologizes for _nearly destroying New York?" _I can't keep the sarcasm out of my voice. Fury sighs.

"Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation," He mutters, "But unless we want to deal with his father," He nods his head again at Thor, "I suggest we follow his orders. As long as Loki has his magic restrained, and he's kept a close eye on, nothing can go wrong-"

He's cut off by the alarms sounding through the building, and his one eye goes comically wide. I would laugh, if frustration didn't clench my gut. Because I don't need to be a genius to guess what happened. I scowl and stand up.

"_Charlie!"_

**Hello again!**

**Sorry for the time jump, but I wanted to get into the action and the meat of this story. Can any of you guess what Charlie did? Please check out my new fanfiction, Frozen. It's also an Avengers one, and I hope you'll like it! Also, Thank you soooooooooooooooo much for all your reviews :) They made me smile! **

**I hope you all have a marvelous day, and I'll see you again soon I hope!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Charlie**

As soon as Stark and Patchy enter the room and shut the door, I toss my book back into my bag, and jump up, sprinting down the hall. I want to scream, except I'm terrified that if I draw attention to myself, I'll end up in jail just for being here. This doesn't look like a typical Joe kind of place.

As my run slows, so does my wall of bravery and bluff. I feel hollow on the inside. Seeing how betrayed Ryan looked... I push the thought from my mind, intent on not crying. Tony just had to ruin everything.

Life really is going to be hell now. I mean, sure, it wasn't picturesque before. Breanna and Sierra picked on me whenever possible. I had no close friends, because I refused to be friendly with anyone. But I was starting to adapt to Malibu city life.

And then Stark had to fly in as Iron Man and blow my cover.

There's no doubt that the kids will be pelting me with questions and invade my personal life now. Then again, maybe Lucas will ask me out. But at the moment, that's at the bottom of my priorities. I wouldn't be surprised if my few friends that I had started to get to know, never speak to me again.

Ryan.

I wince at the thought of him. We were finally getting along really well. No matter how hard I tried to push him away, he always pushed back, until I finally gave up. He's one of the few people at this school who doesn't give me hell for being a Canadian, and he doesn't push into my past, which I was grateful for.

But I lied to him.

And now he probably hates me.

He had been so honest with me. He had invited me over for dinner several times. I had met his parents, and his little brother and sister. He treated me like family, even though I'm not exactly the nicest person. He considered me a friend.

But when he would suggest we go to my place to work on projects, I would make up a skimpy excuse. When he asked me about my family, I gave vague answers. I believe he thought that I lived with my great-aunt, and second cousin, three times removed. I can't even remember what lie I told him anymore.

He completely opened up to me. He told me about his grandparents, and all nine of his annoying cousins. He told me about his passion for music, and that he one day wanted to be a movie director, even though he was a genius. He was honest with me, because he thought I had been with him.

And boy, do I wish I had been.

Scowling, I wander through the rooms and tunnels of the intricate building. Several times I see some sort of Eagle logo, with the words Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division written on the walls. They seriously need a shorter name.

A couple of times, some people in black suits and determined expressions pass me in the hall, hold up tech that makes my head ache just thinking of how to turn it on. I see the word STARK printed on some of the stuff, an I wonder if this is another one of Tony's charity projects.

But the farther I walk through the building, the less sure I get. I'm starting to seriously think that this is some sort of top secret government facility, because I'm pretty sure that normal employees don't carry missile launchers to the Janitors closet.

"What in the world?" I mutter in fascination as I pass through a hallway with adjoining rooms. Except the doors are made of glass. I walk pass the first room, to see that it seems to be like a lab. Two teenagers who don't look much older than myself, are talking with an older man. He looks kind of familiar, until I realize that I've seen Pepper talk to him a couple of times. Each time she's sent me to my room. I presumed he was one of Tony's 'Friends.'

"Coulson, you didn't tell us that we were securing a bloody god!" The boy shouts, his eyes comically wide. His voice is muffled by the glass, but I can still make it out. I carefully cross the door to the other end, careful that they don't see me.

"Fitz, Gemma, relax. The Director has informed me that it'll just be for a bit until he figures out what Thor wants."

"Well then, that should be..."

The girls voice fades out as I successfully pass their room. I continue my little exploration. The next room with a see through door must be an armory or something. Back in Canada, Old Man Jenkins who lived down the street from us had an armory. He had two rifles, and a shotgun. At the time, I though that was a lot of weapons. Boy, was I wrong.

I hurry past the room, unsettled. I turn a corner in the hall, and am so deep in thought that I don't even see that the hall turns again, and instead I walk into the glass wall.

"What the dinklehoppers," I mutter, cupping my poor nose. What idiot builds a glass door right where the hall curves? It makes it seem as though you can keep on walking straight!

"Careful, there's a wall there."

The voice makes me freeze my brooding. Wide-eyed, I look up, expecting to see a guard or something. Instead, I'm met by two vivid green eyes who stare at me, almost bored. They make my blood run cold, and my breath hitches. And then I realize that they're on the other side of the glass. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Who are you?" I ask, eyeing my new companion. He doesn't seem to be a part of this agency, looking at his attire and the fact that he's on the other side of the glass.

His pale features twist into amusement, as he raises a dark eyebrow. He has long black hair that's slicked back, kind of like a mullet. And trust me, I'm from Canada. I've seen my fair share fo mullets. And least this guy looks decent in it.

I'd say he's probably in his thirties, although he's one of those people that you can never tell. He's really tall, but that might just appear so because I'm really short, and he stands with an air of confidence, as though he feels he's better than everyone else. He's wearing funny clothes too. Gosh, are those leather and metal straps?

He quirks an eyebrow, as though he can't quite believe I'm talking to him. Am I not supposed to? I look around for a sign or something, but spot nothing.

"I am Loki," He finally tells me, his intense gaze never wavering. "Of Jotunheim. Who are you?"

"Charlotte," I tell him, before asking the queestion that pop[s up in my head. "Jotunheim?" I ask, scrunching my nose up in confusion. "Where's that? Is that in Russia or something?"

He rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically. I think this guy could give Breanna a run for her money. "Jotunheim is not of this realm, and most likely beyond your comprehension."

"_Excuse me?" _I ask, shocked by his rudeness. I mean, I'm rude. I know that. But this guy doesn't even know me and he's calling me dumb! My features twist into an all too familiar scowl. I'm just surprised that it isn't directed at Tony. "Try me. I might not be tech savvy, but I'm so book smart I make Albert Einstein look stupid," I boast,completely stretching the truth. So I might not be quite that smart, but I still get A's, and I have a high IQ. And besides. This guy needs his ego deflated even more than Stark does.

He smirks. "Well then, if you're so far advanced, Midgardian, then perhaps you will understand," He speaks real funny. I want to ask what a Midgardian is, but before I can interrupt, he continues. "There are nine realms which rest upon the branches of Yggdrisall. Asgard is the leading realm. This realm is Midgard. Jotunheim is a realm of monsters from your nightmares," His smile makes me shiver. "That's where I'm from."

I raise an eyebrow. This guy is seriously delirious. So I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

"I didn't know there are still people who believe in Norse Mythology."

"Do I look like some naive human?" He sneers all of a sudden, and I wonder if I've said something wrong. "Norse Mythology was built around me. Humans fear me. I don't believe in Norse Mythology. I _am _Norse Mythology."

"Right," I say stretching out the word. I glance up the deranged guy in front of me once more. "I totally fear you."

Next thing I know is that he's staring at me, utter confusion on his face. "Do you know nothing of the events that occured in New York?"

I scoff. "You mean that supposed alien invasion thingy? Not really, if I was honest," I decide to sit down in front of the glass. Looks like I won't be going anywhere for a while. "Information wasn't exactly... accesible to me," I say, squirming as my past comes up. However, unlike most people, Loki notices. His eyes narrow.

"What do you mean?"

I shrug slowly, wondering how much I should tell him. I'm leaning towards no, when something in his insitient green eyes catches my attention. It's tiny, and I almost miss it. But I'm pretty sure it's empathy. If it had been pity, I know I would've fabricated a lie. But his empathy catches me off guard.

"My parents died about a month ago," I start off slowly, no longer making eye contact with him. "Now I live with my Aunt here. But before my parens weren't exactly the top of the food chain," I wince at my crude explanation, but shrug it off. "I never had access to social stuff. I had one friend, and even he left me. So I did my own thing. I minded my own buisness. Never really cared about anything else," I smile slightly. "Except Tic Tac Toe."

"Tic Tac Toe?" He asks me confused. My jaw drops.

"You don't know what Tic Tac Toe is?!" I exclaim. He shakes his head. I roll my eyes. "It's only the best game ever invented!"

"Is that so?" He quirks an eyebrow at me. The darker air has disspersed around us, and he gives a light, albeit small, smile. "Then you must explain it to me. I have nothing better to do at the moment."

I open my book bag, and pull out a tube of red lipstick Pepper gave to me. I don't really wear lipstick, but thought it might be useful. Looks like I'm write.

Loki carefully sits acorss from me through the glass, as I draw out the world's best Tic Tac Toe board. He watches me intently, and I have a feeling that he must be a more calculating opponent. Which means I have to watch my moves.

"Alright," I say once I'm done. "So the object of the game is that you want to get three in a row," I gesture to the possible patterns one can attain. "One of us are X's, the other O's. We simply go back and forth until one person wins, or there are no more spaces. Understand?"

"It's seems to be an incredibly simple minded game," He mutters, although he nods. "I would like to be X's."

Instead of responding, I go ahead and make my move. I place an X in the middle of the board. Best to throw him off the scent now.

I watch as his eyes scan over the board, before he points to the upper left corner. I carefully draw an X there, before writing an O in the bottom left corner, knowing full well that most people don't look in that direction.

Looks like I'm right.

He points to the middle top, and I draw his X. He looks almost bored. That is, until I draw my O in the top right corner, and put a lin through my three in a row.

"Wait, what just happened?" He looks surprised at my sudden gesture. I roll my eyes, while starting a new board beside our other one. There's a throbbing pain in my nose, but I shrug it off.

"I won," I smirk. "Not so simple minded now eh? Best out of three?"

Seven board later, Loki's brow is furrowed in concentration, and there's a gleam of sweat on his brow. I can't help but laugh at the poor guy. I've won five games, he's won two, because I let him win. I draw another line through my line of O's, earning a seixth victory. I laugh as his eyes go comically wide.

"How?! It's not possible!" He exclaims, tilting his head as though to get a better view of the board and understand how I won.

"I told you I was good," I smirk.

"This must be some Midgardian magic," He exclaims again, still astonished. He looks up and narrows his eyes at me. "Best out of thirteen?"

I look at the completely flattened lipstick tube. "Yeah, I don't think that'll be happening," I laugh, holding up the empty tube. I laugh until I feel a sharp jab of pain flare up through my nose. I immediately yelp, my hands flying to my sore appendage.

"What's wrong?" He asks me, still staring at our previous game in contemplation. I shrug him off.

"It's nothing. My nose just really hurts from when I walked into the glass," I tell him, although the throbbing worsens. I scowl slightly, but that makes it hurt even more. He notices, and it finally manages to pry his eyes away from the board. He winces.

"Ooh, that looks painful, even by god's standards. You really should put some ice on that."

While we've played, he's explained to me how he think's he's a god, and how he tried to take over New York, which is why he is currently being held here. I just smiled and nodded. I still think he's just crazy, although he's really nice once you get to know him. Even if he sucks at Tic Tac Toe.

I roll my eyes sarcastically at him, ignoring the flare of pain. "Oh yeah, cause I totally know where to find that here."

He sighs, before looking at my nose once more. For a moment I see some sort of eternal battle going on inside, and then he sighs as though in defeat,he stands up, and I watch his movvements curiously. When I don't move, he sighs impatiently.

"Come on, get up. I don't normally make it a normal matter to help the Midgardians," He tells me with a sigh, "But I owe you for teaching me this game. Quick now, we won't have much time once the alarm is triggered."

"Alarm?" I say, completely lost. He rolls his eyes, before gesturing to the keypad beside the side of the door. I clue in to what he wants. I stand up slowly, hoping that I'm not going to be sent to jail for what I'm about to do. Then again, living with Tony kind of is like a jail already.

"The door will open once you press in the code," He explains to me. "But without the retinal confirmation scan, an alarm will sound within thirty seconds, and the door will slide shut again."

"Can you speak english please?" I ask, lost after the word code. He rolls his eyes, and I ignore it as my nose throbs once more. I officially hate glass walls. Or doors. Whatever.

"Are you sure you aren't from the same time era as Captain America?" He mumbles under his breath. I begin to scrunch my nose in confusion, but fail miserably due to the pain.

"Captain who?"

"Nevermind," He brushes it off. "Come on. The code is 9695k7sd27a22."

"If you know the code why don't you come out yourself?" I retort, still sore from his jab, even if I didn't understand it. He rolls his eyes again. I get the feeling that he does that a lot.

"The keypad is on the other side of the glass."

"Oh," I mutter, my fingers dancing the code in. It flashes green for a second, and retinal scanner pops out as the door slides open. I smile, proud of myself. "See that?"

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Yes, yes. Now, are you coming or not?"

"Why don't you want to come out?" I ask confused. He sighs.

"I'd rather not have to deal with my brother again. And if you could hurry, you have five seconds left."

I stare at the timer to see that he's right. For a moment I hesitate. Maybe he was locked up for a reason. You know, other than being mentally unstable. But my eyes flirt over our Tic Tac Toe games, and I take a deep breath.

And I step inside just as the door slams shut. Alarms start blaring, and I hear footsteps quickly approaching. My eyes go wide. Several thoughts fly through my mind.

What have I got myself into?

And most importantly:

Tony is going to kill me.

**Happy 2014 guys! My first update of the New Year!**

**I hope this chapter was okay, and I'd just like to point out, this will NOT be Loki/Charlie slash. I certainly have something big planned for them, but not in that way. **

**Anyways, thank you so much for all of your reviews, and please let me know how I did! **

**Until next time!**


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